Jerome Abbott

Jerry Abbott, President Grupe Real Estate In 1977 Jerry Abbott took a position with Grupe Realtors lead by Fritz Grupe. Because of various mergers and acquisitions his tenure with Grupe has now spanned 41 of his 45 years in the real estate industry. Working hard in a business that already demands much of its people, Jerry consistently applies patience and skill in directing his staff to grow and succeed and then supports their success with the best tools available. Success for Jerry however is not simply measured by his many corporate accomplishments. He is a family man with 4 children, 15 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren and deep roots in the Stockton community. His early years were marked by a commitment to his country as he enlisted in the military at the beginning of the Viet Nam war. I spent three years in the Marines, 13 months of that time in DaNang Province, Viet Nam as a rifleman. I received a purple heart and our first child was born while I was overseas. I left the military in 1967 as a sergeant and went to work for a finance company in Southern California. Motivated by his desire to put down roots and raise his family, Jerry moved to Stockton and soon began studying for his real estate exam while attending San Joaquin Delta College where he majored in Business and obtained his Associate of Arts Degree. He then attended the University of San Francisco studying Business, Human Relations and Organizational Behavior. Real Estate however was to become his passion as he discovered that it allowed him to help families with one of the most important decisions of their lives, buying a home. He entered the business in 1977 with Art Godi Associates. I loved everything about the business and the people were wonderful. I liked the fact that I could help people purchase a home and receive all the benefits of ownership. In 1984 he opened Stockton for Coldwell Banker and in 1989 was promoted to Senior Vice-President responsible for 10 offices and 350 salespeople. Because Jerrys management style had always dictated a close relationship with his people he made 3x5 cards on every salesperson with information on them individually. He could then visit an office, call each person by name and talk to them about something that was of interest to them. When the opportunity arose to buy the office that he had started in Stockton, Jerry chose to take advantage of that offer. Later another merger would bring Fritz Grupe and Jerry together again to combine forces in the real estate industry with a well-respected local name to form Grupe Real Estate. Today, Jerry is Chief Executive Offer and Managing Partner of Grupe Real Estate that has over 140 agents and 6 offices in Stockton as well as offices in Lodi, Lockeford, Valley Springs, Angels Camp and Manteca. Associated with the Grupe Familys reputation for service, integrity and charitable giving, Grupe Real Estate is firmly established in the San Joaquin business community with a position of excellence. In the community Jerry has served as Co-Chairman of the United Way Stockton Campaign in 1997 and 1998 and is a past president of the Stockton Board of Realtors. He is still on the Faculty Advisory Committee for San Joaquin Delta College where he has taught Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice, Real Estate Finance and Real Estate License Preparation. Jerry is a director of CREB since its inception and Metro List MLS for over 20 years Although Jerry has many interests, his primary focus is in directing people to grow and succeed. His belief that getting to know people makes all the difference has been pivotal in the stability and growth of Grupe Real Estate and has been instrumental in the many honors that he and his company have received such as the prestigious San Joaquin Best Award of Excellence for Real Estates Services from the local newspaper. In addition to his many responsibilities, Jerry obtained his Brokers license in Arizona and is the Designated Broker for Capstone Homes Realty, a subsidiary of Capstone Homes, the largest custom home builder in Arizona based in Flagstaff, Arizona. To Jerry, professionalism and integrity are the foundation upon which his life and business are built.